Wipro, Biome Environmental Trust, ACWADAM and Mapunity have been involved with Participatory Aquifer Mapping project for couple of months now. As the project intends to be participatory, engaging with people becomes essential. We started this project to seek answers for number of questions. Some of it we found answers to and some we are still grappling with. Furthermore, during our interactions with different groups of people, lot more got added to this list of questions. The questions range from borewell, recharge, wastewater treatment, water quality to rules and regulations governing this groundwater space.  The questions are listed below. The ones we have answers for and know about, you can find the information here: http://www.groundwaters.in/faqs.

Borewells and Ground Water

Technical

1. What does the static ground water level indicate ?  How come the static water level in my borewell is less than 50m where as my borewell is 1200ft deep ?

Hydrofracturing

1. Is there any point in deepening/hydrofracturing my borewell ? 

Recharge

1. How can I measure the volume of water that is getting recharged through my recharge wel
2. Will the improvement in the yield of my borewells be better if I directly put water into the borewell instead of digging recharge wells
3. Which are all the borewells/areas that will get benefited due to any ground water recharge that I am undertaking. There is a new high rise coming up next door and their borewell is deeper than mine. Will this new borewell reduce my yield.
4. My apartment is next to a lake and I think that if the lake is full of water my borewell will start to yield. I dont think I need to invest separately in recharge wells

Quality

1. Is there Iron ? Fluoride ? any other toxic minerals in my/neighbourhood ground water ?
2. The nearby lake is polluted. Would it affect the water quality in my borewell?

Rules/Regulations

1. Do I have to take permission to dig a borewell ? Where should I register my existing as well as new borewell
2. How should I decide the location of borewell? Whom should I consult regarding this?

Waste Water and Sewage Treatment Plants

Services

1. Which are the good/reliable water testing labs in my neighbourhood. Is there a simple/economical  way for me to test STP output water quality on a regular basis
2. Good reliable vendors for AMC/STP maintenance. My STP is > 5 years and am not sure if it was designed/is functioning correctly

Reuse

1. Can I redirect my excess STP treated water (after flushing and landscaping) for ground water recharge or into lakes
2. Is it ok to use treated STP water for growing vegetables
3. I have excess STP water ? Can I sell it ? Give it away to parks/newly planted trees ? How ? 

Rules/Regulations

1. How can I conform to zero discharge norms. I have no place to reuse my water.
2. Pre 2004 apartments - with no provision to reuse water for flushing. Is it still mandatory for me to reuse STP treated water for flushing. What is the point treating my water if there is no scope for reuse

The objective of the project is to understand groundwater space through your stories during the course of time. The project and the platform (www.groundwaters.in) would serve as a discussion platform for long term engagement!